Bruce Finlay’s Blk N’ Tan Band – Coal Miner’s Ball

The Coal Miner’s Ball

Proudly Presents

Bruce Finlay’s Blk N’Tan Band

April 25th – The Alpine Inn

Sutton, AK

Mile 61

The Glenn Highway

Music Starts at 7:30

 

The Bruce Finlay’s Blk N’ Tan Band, is led by Bruce Finlay of “The Sorrows” an English Band from the 60’s and 70’s. Bruce’s skills as a drummer, song writer and composer is legendary. There is much written about his past accomplishments.

The Blk N’ Tan Band is a contemporary blend of past and present with many new songs that have evolved over the years. A five piece band with 2 keyboards, vocals, guitar, drums, saxophone and flute. The lively delivery of Classic Rock, Celtic, Blues, Jazz and new original tunes will keep the audience dancing, tapping your toes and swaying with the music.

 

You won’t want to miss this Band’s performance at the

Coal Miner’s Ball April 25^th

at the Alpine Inn in Sutton, AK

 

Bruce Finlay – Drums, Vocals, Songwriter and Composer

Bruce skillfully blends his 40 years as a professional musician in Blk N’Tan. He toured all over the world during the 60’s and 70’s with the British Band “The Sorrows”. As an Alaskan resident he has since refined his music to include Celtic ballads from his home land. Now producing CD’s and recording in his studio. He also teaches music with the Anchorage Scottish Pipe Band.

Joan Massart – Paden – Vocals, Keyboard, Piano, Strings

Joan’s voice has a terrific range from Rock and Roll tunes to melodious Celtic ballads. She calls herself the “Baby of The Band”, 8 years as a professional musician as compared to 30 and 40 years of her band mates. She has lived in Alaska since 1981 and currently lives in Anchorage where she has an advertising agency. She is also a member of the Anchorage Scottish Pipe Band.

 

Phil Herndon – Flute, Saxophone, Harmonica

Phil has over 30 years as a professional musician, 20 of those years were with the Air Force Band. He has traveled all over the world, with a great sense of humor, I asked where he had played, he replied, “Churches, Bars, with Garage Bands, Funerals, Rituals, Virginity Restorations, Circumcisions and Weddings.” Quite a repertoire…… The sax, flute and harmonica gives the band it’s blues and jazz flavor and blends beautifully with the Celtic tunes.

 

Suzie Feuer – Vocals, Keyboard, Strings, Violin and Cello

Suzie has toured all over, with 22 years as professional musician. She has toured with the Alaskan band The Pipeline and toured for 10 years with White Line Fever in the Lower 48. Suzie and Joan blend their vocals and compliment each other in a winning combination. Suzie’s keyboard integrates all the strings for an earth rich tone. A school teacher by day in Eagle River and a rocker by night, she is also a member of the Anchorage Scottish Pipe Band.

 

Jim Zuehsow – Bass Guitar

Jim has 45 years as a professional musician. He says he plays keyboard and other instruments, but really just loves the bass guitar. He has worked in LA as a studio musician recording with big name bands and as a studio engineer. He came up to Alaska in 1972 playing in Anchorage at The Pine Club for a number of years. He now is retired and is producing CD’s and recording in his own studio while playing bass for The Blk N’ Tan Band.

 

 

 

For more information on Bruce Finlay’s Blk N’ Tan Band you can contact Bruce Email or call 907 746-3727

 

 

The Greater Cause

The Greater Cause
Some Good Reasons for Doing Good

With all that takes place in our lives, it can sometimes be easy to overlook the fact that we’re part of something greater than ourselves—a collective consciousness, the Universe, a greater cause. Because of our tendency to forget this, we might make decisions in our lives that don’t reflect that responsibility that comes with this belonging. All too often, we focus just on the short-term, tangible gain to ourselves without worrying about its consequences. Other times, we may discard the greater cause because it seems like “hard work.” The challenge is to expand our minds so that we transcend the distinction between self and others, so we are aware of how our choices and actions can impact a greater cause.

Contributing to the greater cause doesn’t have to be all about self-sacrifice. For example, if you plant a tree in a community space, its shelter will cool and protect you as well as your neighbors. Or, your reward might be in the form of the beauty that you now see in that space or the sincere smiles of appreciation from neighbors. When you serve the greater cause you also serve your greater good. There is nothing that you cannot do for your highest good that will not benefit the good of all. For example, saying no to a relationship that isn’t right for you not only benefits you but serves the greater good of the other person that you are honoring with your honesty. Saying yes to your dream job not only fulfills you but also serves the people that will benefit from your enthusiasm and productivity.

When you know you are serving a greater cause, there is little room for fear and doubt. You know that what you do will benefit others, so there is no way the universe is not going to support your efforts – even if sometimes it may not look that way. Serving the greater cause allows you to live from the space of your greatness. When you know that what you do can serve a greater cause, you are aware of your power and ability to influence and create change in this world.

 

Mat Su Gardening – The World’s Largest Carrot

Heaviest Carrot (longest click here)

According to the Guinness Book of Records John Evans created the World Record heaviest carrot, a whopping 18.985 pounds (8.61 kg) in 1998, a world record for a single root mass.

John V. R. Evans, a mechanical designer who lives 40 miles north of Anchorage in Palmer, Alaska holds seven world records for Giant Vegetables.

John was born in Dungarvan, Ireland was raised in Brecon, South Wales coming from a line of expert horticulturists.

In the 40 years of gardening experience, he has accumulated a great wealth of knowledge from different climactic and soil conditions in 6 countries and 4 U.S. states. He also does extensive research in the chemical, physical and biological properties of his garden and experiments on different plants of the 60 to 70 vegetables seed varieties he grows each year.
In the seven years of competition at the Alaska State Fair he and his wife Mary have accumulated over 180 first places in both quality and giant vegetable categories, with 18 State and 7 World Records.

Can you imagine what it would be like to dig up a carrot from your garden and not knowing how big it is until the last minute, and then finding out that it’s 19 lbs. Now that’s exciting!
John says “Over the years, I have developed my own fertilizers, bio-catalysts, and growing techniques and it would take a whole book to explain.”  His advice is that Carrots require a long growing season and should be started in February. Transplant in a high raised bed that has been dug very deeply and enriched with compost and sand. It is really that simple!
But there have been missteps along the way, he notes. First, there are the battles with moose. He and his wife have had to bang on pots and cans in the middle of the night to distract the hungry garden predators.

Even Mother Nature can even be an enemy. In his early days, Evans was walking the cabbage rows at sunrise. All around, there was a strange sound of rubbery stretching as cabbage leaves creaked open. Suddenly, with the sun nestled just above the horizon, the cabbages started exploding. “There was coleslaw everywhere,” he says, laughing. “They had warmed up too quickly on the outside and were still cold on the inside and they just popped open.”  Now he knows to stretch wet sacks across the heads to insulate them at night and let them wake up slowly and well-hydrated.

For a world record holder seven times over, John Evans is really a humble sort of chap. In fact, as he tells it in his cheery Welsh accent, he really just sort of fell into the sport. “I came up with the idea to grow large vegetables to promote organic gardening. I don’t use chemicals, fertilizers or any such things. And the plants, they simply love it.”

John doles out a what he calls a “compost tea with nutrients,” a treat that feeds soil bacteria and fungi, which in turn feeds the worms, which in turn fertilize and aerate the soil, which in turn delights the veggies. If it sounds pretty simple, it is at least in theory.

But then there are the man-hours to account for. Though John only gives his crop of cabbages, Swiss chard, carrots, potatoes and zucchini a serving of “tea” once a week, the rest of the time he tends to daily garden duties like any good green fingered gardener.

John’s extra care
The garden covers only a half-acre, and he is up and out there by 4 a.m. every morning, pinching and adjusting and watering the plants. And since he’s in Palmer, Alaska, sitting in the Mantanuska Valley, overlooking a nearby glacier, there are some special measures he has to take. For instance, since the ground might not thaw by the time his growing season rolls around, Evans uses raised beds, which warm up faster. And too, since his well water is often just 38 degrees F, even at the height of summer, he heats it so as not to put the plants into shock.

John’s attention to detail has made him one of the most successful giant gardeners in the field. He says that because he feeds the soil, not the individual plant, his practices tend to yield a giant cornucopia rather than a single specialty. His Guinness World Records suggest that there may be some truth to that. His prize-winners include: a 35-pound broccoli; a 19-pound carrot; a 39.5-pound kohlrabi; a 45-pound red cabbage; a 42.8-pound garden beet; a 28-pound kale; and a 49.1-pound celery.  John very modestly says “I just manipulate plants, growing great plants from ordinary seeds. And really, I don’t want to come off like a huge environmentalist. I just am saddened by how few people garden in this country. I learned from my grandmother and my 88-year-old father still acts like a 10-year-old in a candy store when he gets a batch of my soil amendments. It’s really fun, and it’s so good for us to try and be self-sustaining.”

To finish off John is not out to be the World Record holder for ever. He just want to show what can be done with a little effort and no chemicals. “Any layperson in any climate can grow giant vegetables with my methods. And that’s OK. I’ve already made my point.”
You can contact John at: ALASKA GIANT SEEDS, P.O. Box 1072, Palmer, AK 99645, U.S.A., fax +1-907-746-4781, Home Phone +1-907-746-4781, e-mail

 

Volcano – Mt. Redoubt

Location of Redoubt volcano and other Cook Inlet volcanoes with respect to nearby cities and towns. Click to view full-size image

Alaska Volcano Observatory

 

Redoubt – Hut

Redoubt – CI

Click to view larger images.

 

Redoubt Volcano Latest Observations

2009-02-07 08:17:35

Redoubt Volcano continues to be in a state of unrest. Seismic activity remains elevated and consists of relatively continuous tremor that fluctuates in amplitude over time.
The web camera is now dark for the night. Field crews will be attempting to measure gas emissions at the volcano today.
The volcano has not erupted and AVO continues to watch the volcano 24/7.

2009-02-07 06:21:05

Redoubt Volcano continues to be in a state of unrest. Seismic activity remains elevated and consists of relatively continuous tremor that fluctuates in amplitude over time.
The web camera is now dark for the night.
The volcano has not erupted and AVO continues to watch the volcano 24/7.

2009-02-07 04:39:00

Seismic unrest continues at Redoubt. As noted in the last few updates the activity at the volcano is currently dominated by volcanic tremor that waxes and wanes over time.
The web camera is now dark for the night.
The volcano has not erupted and AVO continues to watch the volcano 24/7.

2009-02-07 00:51:40

Redoubt Volcano continues to be in a state of unrest.
Seismic activity remains elevated and consists of relatively continuous tremor that fluctuates.
The web camera is now dark for the night.
The volcano has not erupted and AVO continues to watch the volcano 24/7.

2009-02-06 22:49:11

Redoubt Volcano continues to be in a state of unrest.
Seismic activity remains elevated and consists of relatively continuous tremor that fluctuates gradually. Tremor amplitude has decreased in the last two hours
The web camera is now dark for the night.
The volcano has not erupted and AVO continues to watch the volcano 24/7.

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